My first interview of the 31st Edition - with team B.E.M. Soundtrack to follow later today.

http://montreal-fireworks.com/ReportBlog/?p=983

Paul.

It almost sounds like they didn't bother much for the opening show of Montreal. Hope the show is better than it looks on paper.

Best Regards,
Vander

Thank you for this inaugural interview, Paul. The idea of actual cannons on the music of 1812 is intriguing.

Whereas some displays are very exciting on paper and lead to disappointment, other are unexpectedly surprising. Nonetheless, the scheduled small size of the entrant's pyro crew is a concern.

Your interviews are paramount as it's so difficult to find info elsewhere: It seems that La Ronde doesn't have resource to update and bring more info on their website (e.g., the soundtrack is still not available), and the only press release on CNW is one from Loto-Quebec, which advertizes the great view on the fireworks from... its Casino on Notre-Dame island. Misère!

Fred

From Paul's interview:

Hence the format could be called classic – composed of only ramps 1, 2 and 3 and with just five positions on ramps 2 and 3.

I just looked at my photographs of BEM's setup at their last appearance in 2011, and it was basically the same thing, with five positions on ramp 2 and about seven positions on ramp 3, almost nothing from ramp 4 and no fifth ramp. The setup in 2005 - their Jupiter bronze awarded show - was a little more sophisticated, tough.

Fred

Thanks for your kind words, Fred! I hope to have the soundtrack up later today.

As you note, sometimes it's difficult to tell how a display will be until it's actually shot! Gilles Masson did note that they approach the design in the same way they would if they were in-competition. After all, potential clients will be watching and so they need to do a good job. He did say they were using plenty of high-quality shells, so this sounds promising. I forgot to note in the interview that the largest calibre will be 250mm (10"[img]http://montreal-fireworks.com/forum/img/smilies/wink.gif[ /img]. Let's hope the weather cooperates this evening!

Paul.

The cannons seem promising. Let's hope we will be able to see them clearly from the stands.

Upon checking the soundtrack, I said to myself : Danse Macabre, at last !

I feel this piece should be used more often by contestants, as it's imagery is quite vivid for its time and it contains various motifs that could be represented through the use of pyrotechnical effects : skeletons (xylophone notes representing bones knocking together), rooster's crow (to represent the sun rising at the end), 12 bells of midnight, ghosts (represented by quick violin motifs), etc. At one point, I had toyed with the idea of simulating what I had in mind in Finale, but it fell through.

The Adagio can also lead to a very emotional segment if done properly.

Let's see what BEM will do with this particular piece tonight and the overall "classic" feel of the display. Their multiburst shells and golden twinkling kamuros are typically quite impressive.

STL

The music is definitely promising. On closer examination of the soundtrack, we do not have the 1812 Overture - so I'm not sure when the cannons will be shot. Thanks to Carl Desjardins for pointing out the error.

Fully agree about Danse Macabre - should be great!

Paul.